Stupid Radio Contests
by Grinning Purple Cheshire Cat
Summary: When the squad wins a radio contest, an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii, they find they get a little more than they bargained for...
1. Congratulations!

A/N: I'm back ^_^ With a new story...I've noticed not many people come here (or at least like to review) during school months...I expect more over Thanksgiving Day break...ah well, here ya go ^_^ Kinda short, but it's just an intro. Enjoy ^_^  
  
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"And welcome back to 101.5 WKHJ!" the radio DJ announced in his annoying "Alex Trabec gameshow host" voice after a long commercial for some new cable internet. "The high for today is 56. Wow, another chilly one! Too cold for me, that's for sure! Well, Tough Trivia right after this: One of my personal favourite songs, 'Seniorita' by Justin Timberlake!"  
  
"Oh...my...God..." Hank moaned from his place at the table in the station where he was desparately trying to cram for his physic's final. "Where do they get these crackpots?"  
  
"Really," Tyler agreed, dog-earing the page he reached in Stephen King's "Pet Cemetary" and tossing the book down on top of his backpack. "I swear, if they play one more Justin Timberlake song, I'm going to break the radio in half."  
  
"Amen! Change it to 99X-"  
  
"Don't you dare!" Val quickly objected. "I've had to sit and suffer through your Nirvana and Rob Zombie, now it's MY turn. I happen to like this song."  
  
Tyler snorted. "You would."  
  
"Well, he's a lot cooler than...Insane Clown Posse! Who wants to be in a band called Insane Clown Posse?"  
  
"Not Justin Timberlake, thank God," Hank laughed.  
  
"Yo, sorry I'm late." The three of them looked up as the fourth member of the squad, Jamie Waite, walked in, followed by his girlfriend, Caitie Roth.  
  
"No problem," Hank shrugged. "It's been a slow day. You didn't miss much."  
  
Caitie wrinkled her nose at the music. "Why are we listening to this?"  
  
"Val," Tyler and Hank answered at the same time.  
  
Jamie dropped his things into one of the armchairs and ambled over to the radio, singing along in a high pitched voice, "I don't know what I'm thinkin' 'bout, listening to this song." He made a move to change the station, but a crumpled up wad of paper, thrown by Val, which bounced off his left shoulder, destracted him.  
  
"Come on!" Val pleaded. "The song is almost over, would it KILL you to hear the last ten seconds?"  
  
"I don't know, it just might," he muttered as he reluctantly pulled his hand away from the tuning dial.  
  
"And that was Justin Timberlake's latest hit, 'Senorita!'" The psycotically chipper DJ repeated. "Love that song. Anyway, on to today's Tough Trivia! Wow, this one's a tough one, but if you get it right, you and four friends could be chillin' on the beach during your week long vacation in everyone's favourite state, Hawaii!"  
  
Val moaned and allowed her head to drop to the table top in front of her. "Oh, what I wouldn't GIVE for a vacation in Hawaii!"  
  
"And the question is...what toy was the first toy to ever be advertised on television?" He paused for a moment, then repeated, "What toy was the first toy to ever have it's own television commercial? Call now, 828-1015, first correct answer wins a trip for five to Hawaii."  
  
Jamie snorted as he flopped down on the couch. "I thought it was supposed to be a tough one."  
  
"You mean you know what it is?!" Val demanded, excitedly.  
  
"Of course. Mr. Potato Head. It's a common known fact. Don't know what they think is so hard about that."  
  
Val blinked, then lept out of her chair, raced across the room, grabbed the cordless phone off the reciever, and shoved it in Jamie's face. "Call."  
  
"Oh, come on, Val," Tyler shrugged. "You know those stupid radio contests are always rigged. Nobody ever wins."  
  
Hank agreed, "Yeah, it's just a marketing ploy, if anything else."  
  
"I. Don't. Care. I NEED this vacation. Call. Now, Jamie." Jamie, more afraid of what Val would do if he didn't, took the phone and began dialing the number as the blonde cheerleader continued squealing to herself. "Oh, a whole week in Hawaii! No squad, no school, no cheerleading, no chilly fall weather! Bliss!"  
  
"Line's busy," Jamie announced, pressing the end call button.  
  
"Keep trying!" Val shrieked.  
  
"Jeeze, Val, calm down," Caitie rolled her eyes as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "The odds of us winning are extremely slim."  
  
"It's ringing," Jamie reported.  
  
Val was nearly hopping with anticipation. "Pick up, you stupid DJ! Pick up!"  
  
"Hello," Jamie finally spoke.  
  
"We got through! WE GOT THROUGH!" She latched her arms around Tyler's neck, nearly choking him, as she rejoiced.  
  
"...I sure do...one hundred percent positive....Mr. Potato Head....I know." He glanced smugly at the other members of the squad. "No, I didn't use the internet, I just remember the question from a Trivial Persuit game I played a while ago.....great....Okay, will do...See ya." He hung up and stared expressionlessly back at the four expectant faces.  
  
"Well?!" Val finally demanded.  
  
Jamie shrugged apathetically. "He said we should stop by the radio station later on tonight to pick up our tickets."  
  
The result was instantanious. Val screamed and tightened her hold around Tyler, Caitie seemed thoroughly surprised and impressed, and Hank apparently forgot about his physics final as he slammed his text book shut and tossed it to the floor, raising his arms above his head as though he had just scored the game winning touchdown.  
  
"I told you I knew the answer," Jamie boasted, standing up and bowing melodramatically.  
  
"Oh! A whole WEEK in HAWAII!" Tyler coughed and massaged his sore throat as Val, who finally released him, ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and began rummaging through her bag for a pen. "I'm going to make a list of all the things I'll need to take!"  
  
"Dude! Jamie, man, you rock!" Hank exclaimed as he gave him a high five.  
  
"I know," Jamie grinned rougishly.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
The shrill bell rang, signalling the end of fifth hour, which was L.A. for the two girls. Val hurried to catch up to Caitie as the mass of students made its way towards the door.  
  
"Just THINK, Caitie! Two more hours and we'll be on our way to the beautiful, sunny, WARM Hawaii!"  
  
Yesterday, as soon as their shift was over, the five teens headed over to the radio station to claim their prize. The radio DJ, who sounded much different in person, cheerfully handed them their five plane tickets, all first class, and told them that a limousine would be there to pick them up after school the next day and take them to the airport.  
  
Val sighed whistfully. "I wonder what everyone will think when they see us driving off in a limmo...Are you sure you packed everything you're gonna need?"  
  
"Yes, Val, stop freaking out, you sound like somebody's parent," Caitie rolled her eyes. "See you after school."  
  
"Bye!" Val waved as the two of them headed for their separate classes.  
  
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Meanwhile, on the football field, Hank and Tyler were just as restless. "Ready for the trip?" Hank grinned.  
  
"You bet. I can barely concentrate on memorizing all these plays..."  
  
"Just two hours, man...only two more hours..."  
  
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And underneath the bleachers, where Jamie was hanging with the rest of his band of miscrients, he couldn't keep himself from glancing at his wristwatch impatiently every few minutes, mentally threatening the clock hands to move faster.  
  
Everyone was looking forward to this vacation...  
  
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* A/N: Wow...I haven't written this bad in...a long time....:sigh:. But really, this is just an introduction. A prolog. The following chapters will be muuuuuch better, I promise you! The PG rating will go up to PG-13 soon too. But you gotta *review* if you want to know what the whole "They get a lot more than they bargained for..." is all about! So please do! Thanks a bunch ^_^ 


	2. Not Good

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Val squealed to her four friends as the shiny white limmo pulled into the school parking lot. She smiled at the chauffer as he opened the door for them, then clapped her hands in delight when she saw the interior. "Black leather seats! And tinted windows you can see out of, but nobody can see in! They really went the extra mile for this radio contest, didn't they?"  
  
"Check out these amps!" Hank marveled as they all piled in. "Bet you get a sweet bass out of 'em! We've so got to get a soundsystem like this for the ambulence!"  
  
Jamie switched on the radio and the familiar tune of Static-X's "The Only" began blaring from the surround sound speakers.  
  
The chauffer, a tall middle-aged man, put their suitcases (which they had been allowed to keep in the office for the day) in the trunk, then, once that was done, they were cruising to the airport in style.  
  
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Thirty minutes flew by like nothing at all, and all too soon, the five teens found themselves parked outside the front terminal of the Tennessee International Airport. "Well, we're here," Jamie announced, opening the door and stepping out onto the busy sidewalk.  
  
The driver unloaded their luggage and handed them each their plane tickets. "Here are your boarding passes," he instructed. "No need to stop at the ticket counter, you're already checked in. Just go right through security to gate H3, and have fun in Hawaii."  
  
"Thanks a bunch!" Val waved as they gathered their belongings and entered the airport.  
  
They made it throught he metal detectors without much problem, though Tyler did get beeped once for forgetting to take his house keys out of his pocket. Then, after a short walk down the crowded hallwawy, past the many book shops and restaurants, they finally reached their gate.  
  
"Flight 0320 to Honalulu, Hawaii, that's us," Hank said, dropping his dufflebag on the floor and sitting down in one of the chairs.  
  
"I still can't believe this is happening!" Val grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "The tickets are first class, too! It's like a dream come true!"  
  
Tyler and Hank eagerly joined in Val's excitement, but when Jamie noticed Caitie sitting off by herself, frowning slightly, and twiddling her thumbs in her lap, he sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"  
  
His words startled her, and she seemed a little flustered as she replyed, "I...oh, it's nothing...really...it's stupid-"  
  
"What's stupid?" He pressed.  
  
"I...well..." She finally gave in. "Don't laugh...but...I'm really nervous...I mean, I've never flown in an airplane before..."  
  
He couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twisting up.  
  
Caitie's cheeks flushed a rosey pink. "Jamie! You said you wouldn't laugh!"  
  
"I'm not!" He objected, though his smile involentarily broadened.  
  
"Jamie!"  
  
"No! No, I-" He ducked a swing from her left arm. "I think it's cute."  
  
"Cute?!"  
  
"Yeah, you know, your first time flying. It's like a monumental moment."  
  
She sighed and forced a smile, slouching further down in her chair.  
  
"Come on," Jamie kept trying to comfort her. "I've flown loads of times, and I'm still alive. It's fun once you get used to it."  
  
She smiled uncertainly and propped her feet up on her roll-on suitcase.  
  
Just then the attendant behind the counter turned on the intercom and spoke intot he microphone. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? Boarding for flight 0320, non-stop service to Honalulu, Hawaii, will begin now. First class passengers and women with small children first. Thank you."  
  
"That would be us," Hank said, standing up. "Got the tickets, Tyler? Good, let's go then." They got in the fast moving line and Tyler gave the green boarding passes to the young Asian women to run through the scanner.  
  
"Here you go," she said cheerfully, tearing the tickets on the perferated liens and handing them back the part with their seat numbers on it. "Don't forget to grab a Bistro bag on your way down the bridge, and have a great flight!"  
  
"Thank you," Val took the ticket stubs from her and they began the short journey down the bridge toward the silver airplane.  
  
"Airplane food...yummy," Tyler said disgustedly, taking a bag out of the big white, red, and blue Bistro cart.  
  
"I'm sure it's not that bad," Val grabbed one for herself as she took a closer look at the tickets. "Okay, we have Row 3, A and B, and Row 4, A, B, and C. Who wants to sit where?" They reached their seats and Tyler, Hank, and Jamie lifted all their luggage into the overhead bins.  
  
"I'll take 3-A, that's a window seat," Tyler offered, sliding in.  
  
"Okay, and I'll sit next to you, which leaves all of Row 4 for you three to fight over."  
  
"Do NOT put me by the window," Caitie still looked fairly pale.  
  
"Then I'll take aisle and Jamie can have the window," Hank shrugged. "Is middle okay with you?"  
  
"Sure," she agreed, and they clamered into their places to get out of the way of the other boarding passengers.  
  
"Um...hey," Val looked up as a young guy, about her age, set his carry-on suitcase down in the aisle. He was tall with bleach-blonde spiked hair and soldier-blue eyes. He had several piercings, including two in each ear, one in his eyebrow, and one in his nose, complete with a chain that linked his cartilage ring on his left ear to the black spiked dog collar around his neck. "Just...letting you know this is my seat." He stuffed his things under the chair next to Val and sat down, holding out his hand. "My name's Jason."  
  
"Er..." she timidly regurned his hand shake. "I'm Val...short for Valerie..." Now, Val had hung around Caitie and her crowd of punks, rockabillies, indies, and goths enough so that Jason's heavilly punctured face didn't bother her at all, but there was something else about him...the way his eyes seemed to be staring her down, stirring something deep inside her, sending shiveres up her spine, along with the fact that he was obviously coming on to her...she just felt uneasy around him.  
  
"Pretty name," he smiled. "And I see you're going to Hawaii, too. Beautiful state, very romantic..."  
  
Tyler stiffened in his spot, eyeing Jason warily, mentally threatening him to back off. Maybe he didn't realize he and Val were together, but it still should have been obvious by her reactions that she wasn't interested in his shameless flirts.  
  
His attention was soon diverted by the plane's intercom as a voice spoke, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The weather appears clear and calm, so it looks like you'll be in for a smooth, quick flight, flying time should be approximately two hours once we take off here. As soon as we reach our cruising altitude, the flight attendents will be serving drinks to go along with your meal, complimentary from the Bistro company. Also, in the seat pocked in front of you, you'll find a pair of American Airlines headphones. You may use these to either listen to the in-flight radio, or to hear the free movie. This onth's flick is 'The Skulls II.' Now, please turn your attention to the flight attendant in the aisle as she demonstrates some important safety and emergency procedures. Thank you for choosing American Airlines, and have a nice flight."  
  
"Uh...safety and emergency procedures?" Caitie's voice sounded a little hoarse.  
  
"Well...yeah..." Jamie chose his words carefully. "Just...what to do in case we have to make an emergency landing, or...or we crash, or-"  
  
"Crash?!"  
  
He realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly tried to correct himself. "I mean, just in case-"  
  
"Just in case?! Just in case?! Are you telling me there is a possibility that this plane could crash!?"  
  
"No!...Well..."  
  
"WELL?!"  
  
"The odds of it crashing are slim-"  
  
"How slim?"  
  
"Very slim."  
  
"How slim is very slim?"  
  
"Caitie...almost non-existant..." He smiled lovingly at her as she ran nervous fingers through her shoulder-length hair. "It'll be okay, just relax."  
  
The plane's engines revved up, and Caitie jumped slightly, squeezing her eyes shut.  
  
"Here," Jamie took the headphones out of the seat pocket and plugged them into the jack in the armrest. "Watch the movie, it'll take your mind off everything."  
  
She nodded and shakilly accepted the head set, putting it on. Then she suddenly yelped and latched on to his arm, burrying her face in the shoulder of his leather jacket as the airplane picked up speed going down the runway. "Too fast! We're going too fast! We'll never make it off the ground!"  
  
"Caitie," he said firmly, squirming out of her hold. "Watch the movie."  
  
She did as she was told, sitting back in her chair and gulping at the sudden change of air pressure as the aircraft gained altitude.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
The movie soon ended and Caitie looked around. Maybe it wasn't so bad, once you got in the air. She glanced over at Hank who was nodding his head up and down to the beat of "Holidae In," then at Jamie who was reading the AmWay magazine.  
  
"It's not so scary, is it?" He asked, feeling her eyes on him.  
  
"Well...no..." she admitted.  
  
Suddenly, they felst the plane shudder.  
  
Caitie gasped, gripping the armrest so thightly her knuckles were turning white. "What was that?!" She couldn't believe Jamie could remain so calm.  
  
"Just turbulence, nothing to be afraid of," he shrugged.  
  
"T...Turbulence?"  
  
"Yeah." His index finger traced invisible circles on the back of her rigid hand. "Just pockets of rough air. They're quite common, so we were bound to run into some-"  
  
But he was cut off as the intercom clicked on, and the captain spoke in a slightly wavering voice. "Um...excuse me, ladies and gentlemen...please...don't panic..."  
  
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A/N: .:points and laughs:. Ha! A cliff-hanger ^_^ And I apoligize for the beginning being so...ugh. It's just...getting them *to* the airport and on the plane was something I hadn't considered, and I didn't quite no what else to do...ick. But I do promise you the next chapters WILL be better! ^_^ And I loved Jason so much I just had to bring him back XD And "The Skulls II", that's a good movie staring Chris Ralph and Aaron Ashmore, Shawn's bro ^_^ Well, please review if you want to know what happens to our favourite volunteer EMT squad ^_^ 


	3. Blackout

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update ^^; I just...needed to take a break for a little while. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's reviewed this ^_^  
  
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"Please...don't panic..."  
  
Caitie felt her breath catch in her throat as her heart nearly stopped. Her tongue no longer able to form words, she glanced up at Jamie in wide- eyed terror.  
  
"I...I'm sure everything's going to be perfectly okay," he stammered, though it seemed he was still trying to convice himself that.  
  
Hank ripped off his head phones. "What ever it is...it can't be good."  
  
The plane's captain took a deep breath and continued, "Well...it seems...there's a problem with the fuel tanks...a leak or something..and, well...we're almost out. We have enough to keep going for a little while. Um, no worries though, we'll just have to make a quick stop somewhere, nothing big, and sorry about this." There was a slight scratching sound as he fumbled putting the transmitter away, and before he shut it off completely, his low muttering could be heard, "Hopefully we'll be able to make it to the nearest airport..."  
  
Frightened gasps issued from all the passengers, the loudest from Caitie.  
  
"It...it'll be okay, we'll be fine," Jamie tried to console her, but Caitie was having none of it.  
  
"Jamie!" She shrieked. "What happened to 'airplanes are fun!' or 'I've flown loads of times and I've made it back okay'?! Huh?! And what kind of a stupid lie were you feeding me when you said the odds of us crashing were very slim?!"  
  
"Caitie! Calm down, we're not going to crash-"  
  
"CRASH!?" A lady screamed from two rows behind them. "Crash?! We can't crash! I'm four months pregnant! I'm flying out to meed my husband in Hawaii! We just got married a year ago and we're spending our anniversary there! I can't die! Not yet! Please, not yet!" She began crying histerically and one of the flight attendants quickly tried to calm her down.  
  
Caitie, looking fairly pale and fairly sick, slouched down low in her seat, seemingly resigned to her fate.  
  
Jamie squeezed her hand determinedly. "We're not going to die."  
  
"Yeah," Hank laughed nervously. "I mean, we're just going to stop for more gas...everything will work out."  
  
Meanwhile, in front of them, Jason was getting worried and demanding the frantic stewardesses to find out exactly how much fuel was left and how far away the nearest airport was. Val was whispering a silent prayer to herself, and Tyler seemed too stunned for words.  
  
How serious was this error? Were their lives really in danger?  
  
Jamie looked out the window at the far away ground below them. As far as he could see, a vast forestland stretched completely to the mountainous horizon, covering the earth with leaves of various colours. There were no visible signs of human civilization, save for a few lonely houses thrown in here and there between the thick growths of trees. They must have been flying over the Appalachian Mountains. If that was true, then the nearest airport was probably at least an hour or more away.  
  
Would their gas supply last that long?  
  
Jamie felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This vacation in Hawaii was supposed to be fun.  
  
Worrying that in less than an hour you could be dead was anything but fun.  
  
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The plane continued on for another twenty-five minutes, all the passengers scared into silence. Nerves were frayed and everyone was on edge as they waited anxiously for news of their current dilemma. Finally, there was a click as the intercom turned back on and the captain spoke.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen...I'm sorry, but since the closest airport is still quite a ways away, and our fuel source is nearly in the depletion zone...It doesn't look like we're going to make it. As you have most likely noticed, the trees underneath us aren't going to make an emergency landing any easier. But there's nothing else we can do. I'll try my best to keep going as far as I can and look for a clearing we can land smoothly in, though I'm not sure how much further this thing will go. Whatever happens...I'm sorry you had to go through this."  
  
The response to this announcement was utter chaos. People began screaming, crying, shouting, praying...  
  
And as this went on, the rotating fans inside the engines slowly wound down, until they finally stopped. The plane coasted on for a little while, then gradually slipped into a nose-dive as it began plummeting downwards like a falling stone.  
  
Caitie let out a blood-curling scream as gravity pinned her effortlessly to the back of her chair. The earth seemed to be moving just as fast as they were, rushing up to meet them at an alarming speed...  
  
There was a defening explosion on impact and she was thrown forward. The last thing she remembered was a burst of white-hot pain as her head was bashed against the tray table of the seat in front of her, then everything went black.  
  
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Tyler moaned, rubbing the sore, bleeding cut above his left eye. He looked around groggilly for a moment, forgetting what had just happened. Then, when the twisted, jagged metal pieces all around him came into focus, everything flooded back to him. "Oh my God," he muttered, trying to steady his swimming head.  
  
"Oh, you're up."  
  
"Hmm?" Tyler forced his eyes to focus on the figure standing in the middle of the aisle. "J...Jason?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Is anyone else - Val!"  
  
"She's dead, I already checked."  
  
"D-Dead?!" He stammered. A wave of icy-cold disbelief rushed over him as he examined the still form of his former girlfriend beside him. Her head was tilted forward unnaturally, and a trickle of blood was leaking out from the corner of her partially opened mouth. A steady stream of crimson also dripped from somewhere above her hair lie, staining her signature golden blond locks. There were no signs of life. "No...No!"  
  
"I'm sorry, man."  
  
Tyler looked up at the third voice and sighed with relief at the moving figure of his best friend. "Hank! Thank God at least you're okay." He got up and, trembling, wormed his way past the morbid body of Val and joined the two guys in the narrow aisle. "What about Jamie? And Caitie?"  
  
"Jamie's fine," Hank answered. "He came to about five minutes before you did. We're...uh...still waiting on Caitie."  
  
Tyler's eyes fell upon the wretched form of his other friend. He was pretty scratched up, still sitting in his seat, sobbing pitifully and clutching Caitie's limp arm to his chest, rocking back and forth and calling out her name every time he could catch his breath.  
  
"Jamie..."  
  
"No Hank!" he shouted back, sharply. "She's not dead! Only unconcious...she's still breathing! Damn it, I swear she's still breathing!"  
  
Tyler felt an overwhelming sense of pity for poor Jamie. What if she never did wake? What if she really was dead? He would probably crack; go insane and try to murder himself... But as he was pondering this, her eyelids fluttered, fingers twitched, and a slight groan escaped her throat.  
  
"Caitie!" Jamie yelped with joy, leaping to his feet.  
  
She stirred and rubbed groggilly at her eyes. "What...what happened?"  
  
"Caitie! God, you're alive! You had me so worried!" Jamie wrapped his arms around her in a big bear hug. "We were in a plane crash, and-"  
  
"Plane crash?!" She jerked away from him, suddenly wide awake. All she could do was stare wordlessly at the horrendous scene around her. "Oh my God!" Her hand went to her mouth, fingers splayed.  
  
"And...Val didn't make it," Jason said bluntly.  
  
"What?!" She shoved past Jamie rather roughly and stopped in front of Val. "Holy...holy shit...This can not be happening! Val can not be dead!" Tears began streaming down her face as she backed up a step. "No! This has to be some awful nightmare! Val...dead...a plane wreck...are we the only survivors?"  
  
"We should check back in the coach section," Tyler suggested, the idea just coming to him.  
  
"Uh...already been done," Jason raised his hands, hopelessly. "...You don't want to go back there." Tyler felt his heart jump up to his throat as Jason explained, "Seems the fuel tanks and tail engines back there exploded on impact...It's not a pretty sight. Trust me."  
  
"So we were lucky," Jamie said in awe. "We actually survived a tragedy like this..."  
  
"Lucky?" Caitie spat conteptuously. "You call this lucky? We're stranded in a dense forest, who knows where, with only what little supplies we can salvage from this wreck, and my best friend is already dead..." She smiled wryly. "Oh yes, we're very lucky."  
  
"Come on, Caitie," Hank shifted uncomfortably. "At least we're alive."  
  
"Right...and who's he?" she motioned towards the blonde-haired punk.  
  
"I'm Jason...one of your 'lucky survivors.'"  
  
"...I see..." She eyed him warily. Normally she would have fit right in with such a pierced-face rebel, but something about him just screamed he was not to be trusted...  
  
"Um..." Hank broke the silence. "I don't mean to ruin the mood or anything, but can we leave? I mean, I don't want to be here if the rest of this tin can blows up or caves in or something...and besides, all these dead bodies are making me nautious..."  
  
"Good point," Jamie agreed. He made his way to the front of the aircraft, trying his best to keep from thinking about the numerous bloody bodies all around him. He managed to kick open the dented, broken door, then motioned for his friends to follow him as he jumped the short distance to the forest floor. Jason jumped down after him, then Hank, and Caitie, with Tyler bringing up the rear.  
  
The varsity football player paused for a moment in front of row three, gazing down whistfully at the girl he once loved. She still looked beautiful, in a grotesque sort of way... He felt tears welling up in his baby blue eyes and he chewed on his bottom lip, desparately trying to keep them down. "Good bye, Val," He whispered, taking one last, long look at the lifeless cheerleader.  
  
And with that, he left her side, joining the other four remaining survivors outside in the unfamiliar wilderness.  
  
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A/N: Please review...would it be asking for too much if I said 20 reviews and I'll continue? Please review...think of it as a birthday present for me, as it's my birthday this Friday (Nov. 21) :D Thanks a bunch! 


	4. Its A Plan

A/N: I finally got around to drawing a picture of Jason...granted it was just a quick sketch that I didn't even bother to colour, but...at least you'll get the idea of what he's supposed to look like ^__^ Stupid fanfiction.net won't let me post the URL of it in here . So I'm putting the URL as my homepage on my author info page, so if you'd like to see it, head over there. Um...this picture is particularly poorly drawn...Someday I'll actually draw a good picture of him, coloured and everything, along with all the other IAHB characters ^^;; Erm, but anyway, enjoy Chapter Four.  
  
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"Well, what do we do now?" Jamie kicked a pile of dead leaves frustratedly. "Lost in the woods...this was NOT how I wanted to spend my Thanksgiving vacation."  
  
"No kidding," Hank agreed. "Do you think we could try calling someone? My cell's dead...I knew I should have recharged it before we left for the airport, but of course I didn't expect something like this to happen..."  
  
"Cell phones!" The other four teens eagerly pulled out theirs and turned them on...but they only beeped once and shut back off again.  
  
"I don't believe this," Tyler said faintly. "No signal. Satellite not found. This is perfect." He picked up a branch and angrilly snapped it in half over his knee. "This is fucking perfect!"  
  
"I knew there was a reason why I shouldn't have gotten Sprint," Jamie shook his head disgustedly.  
  
Caitie ran nervous fingers through her dark hair. "Now what can we do? Just sit here and wait for the mosquitos to pick us clean?"  
  
"Well...let's go over what we know so far-" Jason suggested.  
  
"But if we already know it, why do we need to go over it again?"  
  
Ignoring Caitie's comment, he continued, "We were in a plane wreck, we're in some forest, probably in the Appalacian Mountains, cut off from all civilization, no supplies, and it doesn't look like we'll be making it out of here alive."  
  
"Wow, aren't you the optomist?" she smiled wryly.  
  
He shrugged. "Well, it's true."  
  
"If only there was some other phone we could use..." Jamie wondered alloud. "Like in the airplane or something..."  
  
"I'm not going back in there," Tyler quickly refused. Images of Val's cold body, both her tanned skin and blonde hair flecked with crimson blood, flooded back into his mind, and he turned bitterly away from his friends. He couldn't let them see the pain he (and most likely his other three friends) felt inside. They were already in a stressful enough situation, he couldn't crack now. And besides, the last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of Jason.  
  
Hank immediately understood (as he usually did), and jumped to his rescue. "It's too risky anyway. If the back engines exploded, the front could too. What about those few houses we flew over?"  
  
"That's not a bad idea," Jamie brightened considerably. "There's bound to be one near here, and they'd absolutely have to have a phone..."  
  
"It's worth a try," Caitie sighed dejectedly. "Which way do we go?"  
  
"Um...pick a direction," Jason shrugged. "We'll eventually have to end up somewhere, right? A road or stream or something we can follow that can lead us to someplace of some signifigance."  
  
"True...well...it's a plan..." The others half-heartedly agreed. As unstable as it sounded, it beat anything else they had come up with so far, and it was certainly better than just sitting back and waiting for death.  
  
Taking reluctant deep breaths, the meager band of teenagers began their ascent into the woods.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
A faint moan escaped Val's throat. The first thing she woke up to was a head-splitting pain which throbbed with such intensity at first she thought her skull had been cracked open. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet and already she wasn't sure if she wanted to. But the incesent twittering of birds and insects finally got to her and she knew she would eventually have to get up.  
  
Steadying herself on the arms of her chair, she finally opened her eyes and looked around. At first, her surroundings seemed unfamiliar. And airplane? Of course, an airplane...that radio contest...the crash...She sat up quickly, which caused a massive room spin. Her hand immediately shot up to the burning cut above her forehead, then back down again as her touch sent millions of sharp, tiny needles pricking all over her tender skin. Her hand felt sticky, and, upon closer inspection, she wasn't surprised to find it covered in blood. Grimacing at the thought of ruining a perfectly good sweater, she reluctantly used her sleeve to wipe the blood off her face. Okay, had to focus here. What about the others?  
  
Her eyes quickly jumped to Tyler's seat on her left...but it was empty. That Jason guy on her other side was gone too. "Caitie? Hank?" She shakilly stood and checked the row behind her, but all she found were three empty seats. "Hello? Is anyone else alive here?" But the only reply she got was the low buzzing of the millions of flies which swarmed around the many mutilated corpses.  
  
Suddenly feeling sick to her stomach, she tore her gaze away from the horrible scene and stepped out into the aisle, making her way to the front of the plane. The door between the cockpit and the lavatory had been forced open, and was wobbily hanging on its hinges. So that's where her friends had gone, of course. They had been okay and had done the most rational thing - left the wreck. She jumped down to the leaf-covered ground below. Now which way had they went? She spent some time scouring the area searching for any hint that could lead her in the direction that her friends had gone, but there were no signs that any people had walked through there at all. Of course not. That would be way too easy.  
  
Well, what else was there to do? There was no point in waiting there; why would they want to return to a scene of such carnage? And, more importantly, why had they just left her behind like that? "Surely they didn't think I was dead," she said alloud to herself. "I mean, we're paramedics! We should be able to tell the difference between someone who's dead and someone who's unconcious. That's what we were TRAINED to do." Oh yes, she was going to give her friends a piece of her mind once she caught up with them...IF she caught up with them.  
  
She firmly shook that thought out of her head. No, not if. When. It was times like these when intrepidity was necissary. And she certainly wasn't going to catch up to anything if she just stood there talking to herself, so, putting on a grim face, she picked a path through the trees and started off, praying that she had chosen the right direction.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"We've been going around in circles!" Caitie loudly complained.  
  
"We have not!" Jason said irritably.  
  
"Come on, we've passed that tree at least eight times by now!"  
  
"How would you know?" Hank joined in the fray. "Everything looks exactly the same."  
  
Jamie rubbed his temples exasperatedly. "Can we please stop jumping down eachother's throats? We're trying to make the best of a bad situation here."  
  
"We've been walking for hours!" Caitie groaned. "Can't we stop and rest yet?"  
  
"Will you stop whining already?!" Jason rounded on her.  
  
"Enough with the fighting!" Everyone quieted down at Tyler's sharp tone, especially since that had been the first words he had spoken since they started on their hopeless expedition.  
  
"Sorry," Caitie muttered.  
  
Jason fell silent as he led the way though the woods, then his eyes fell upon something quite interesting. On the ground, the long weeds had been broken and pushed down in two endlessly long, unmistakable strips. Tire tracks. They were barely visible as the grasses had nearly mended themselves back to full height again, proving that this make-shift road hadn't been used in quite a while. But still, it was a road, it had been used once upon a time, and it had to lead somewhere. What a stroke of luck that his sharp eyes had noticed it! However, he had to keep the others from finding out.  
  
Making sure his back was exactly perpendicular to his discovery, he stopped and turned around. "Um...did you guys hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Er...I heard something from over there...it sounded like a car or something...Maybe there's a house over there...Come on, let's check it out."  
  
Caitie cocked an eyebrow at him. "We're completely changing directions just because you 'thought' you heard a sound? And what if it's not even a car you heard? What if it's some sort of animal, like a bear or something? And we're walking straight to it? Is this really a smart move?"  
  
"Button it, Miss Priss," he said without turning around.  
  
Hank, who had been abling along quietly at the rear, his hads crossed over his chest, trying to ignore the squabbling of his friends, stopped for a moment. Out of the corners of his eyes, he noticed many red speckles among the endless green of the foliage.  
  
"What's up, dude?" Tyler noticed he was lagging.  
  
"I..." he stammered. "I just...have to go to the bathroom really quick. You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."  
  
Hank waited for them to walk a little further away, then he pounced on the bushes. Yes! His eyes had not decieved him! Berries! They had absolutely no supplies, and who knew how long they would have to go without food. Thank God he saw these! But...the bush was small and rather meager, and there only seemed to be enough for one person. That's why he had to be so secretive about it.  
  
He plucked one off a branch and rolled it around between his thumb and forefinger for a second before he popped it into his mouth. He had prepared himself for something bitter and nasty, but it was far from that! It was a perfect blend of sweet and sour, much like an unripened grape, and he eagerly stuffed more into his mouth. Yes! They were perfect! As quickly and as quietly as he could, he gathered all the visible ones, filling his pockets as well as his mouth before he ran back ahead to his group of friends. He laughed victoriously to himself, as no one questioned his actual intent. Oh, how foolish were the ignorant! Well, if they weren't smart enough to deep a wary eye out for berries or any other source of food, they didn't deserve a part of his new found rations.  
  
That was the law of the jungle, after all. Eat or be eaten. Every one for himself. Only the strong and cunning survive.  
  
* * * * Two Hours Later * * * *  
  
A chilled wind whistled though the air, blowing right through Caitie's thin clothes, sending shiveres down her spine. It was now past seven o'clock, according to her wrist watch. The sky, what little portions they could see of it through the tall, leafy branches of the trees, was dark with the presence of night, and not a single star could be found to aid their visibility. It was nearly jet black where they were walking, when Jamie finally stopped.  
  
"I think it's time we pitched camp," he said. "We can barely see two feet in front of us. We might miss something."  
  
Everyone quickly agreed, besides Jason, who eventually gave in.  
  
"Hmm, no cars here," Caitie said, taking a seat on a rotting log. "I KNEW this was a bad idea. You know, Jason, I don't think you should get anymore piercings. I think that last eyebrow ring went right through your skull and let all your intelligence leak out." He shot her a contemptuous glar and she grinned smugly.  
  
"Should we start a fire?" Tyler suggested. "You know, for warmth?"  
  
"How?" Hank slumped down dejectedly on a pile of leaves. "We have no matches. Don't tell me you were thinking of rubbing two sticks together."  
  
Tyler smiled guiltilly. "Well, it always works in the movies."  
  
"You people are idiots," Jason muttered, lying down on his back with his hands folded over his stomach and his eyes closed.  
  
Ignoring his snide remark, Tyler picked up two branches. "So...we just...rub them against each other?"  
  
"You can try it," Hank looked doubtful.  
  
"You can rub 'em together till the cows come home and nothing's going to happen," Jason said without looking up. "You're doing it wrong."  
  
"They why don't you show us the right way, Mr. Outdoorsman?" Tyler snapped, sick of his snotty ego.  
  
But the bleach-blonde punk only replied, "Poor conditions for a fire tonight anyway. A strong wind's blowing all the dead leaves around; it would most likely spread quickly, causing a massive forest fire that would burn the whole place down. Just...lay back and try and get some sleep. We'll be fine for now."  
  
The others tried to follow Jason's suit, but Tyler was having trouble. Thoughts of Val still lingering in his mind, along with the loud rumbling in his stomach he supposed everyone could hear, were doing a good job defending his body from any thoughts of slumber that tried to invade him. He could hear Hank tossing and turning somewhere to his left, and, out of boredom, called out, "I'd give just about anything for a Big Mac right now, how about you, Hank?"  
  
Hank felt a pang of guilt as his hand absentmindedly fingered the many berries he still carried in his pocket, but he quickly shrugged it off. He shouldn't feel any sort of remorse. Which was the smarter choice; to give everyone three or four berries and have them all eventually die from malnutrition or starvation, or to keep all the berries himself and at least possibly save him? Having one survivor was a lot better than having none, right?  
  
He didn't say anything back, and Tyler finally gave him up to sleep as he rolled over on his other side. He could see Jamie and Caitie curled up for warmth a few yards away, and he couldn't help the feeling of resentment that was swelling in the pit of his stomach. It just wasn't fair! Of all people, why did Val have to die? What did he ever do to deserve losing his girlfriend? He watched Jamie slip his arm around Caitie's waist and felt a sharp stab of red hot anger. Why was Jamie lucky enough to have Caitie spared? Everything was screwed up! It wasn't fair at all! Jamie had a criminal record! He never tried in school, indeed, he hardly ever showed up at all! As for responsibility, he didn't think Jamie was capable of spelling the word, let alone having good sense of it! And he, Tyler! He always put 100% effort into his academics, he played for the school football team, and never once had he ever broken the law, been thrown in Juvenille Hall, or been sentenced to probation. Yet, he had been the one who had lost his true love.  
  
So they saying was true. Nice guys do finish last.  
  
Tyler was thankful for the nighttime; for the absence of light. It meant that no one could see his tears as he silently cried himself to sleep.  
  
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A/N: Sorry Winter*Rose, Val's back by popular demand ^^;; Erm...well, actually it has nothing to do with any sort of demand. I always planned to bring Val back. But one character will die before the story's finished, I promise you that. Anyway, I hope you all realize now that Jason is not to be trusted, and as for Hank, he's just being a big jerk right now ^^;; Oh, and just to let you all know, I've finally decided on a plot for this story ^__^ Erm...yes, when I started it, I originally wasn't sure where I'd go with it once I got past the plane crash scene, but I do know now, so...rest easy everyone! ^_^ Erm...yeah...so please review, hmm, 31 reviews this time and I'll continue? Thanks a bunch ^_^ 


	5. Reunion

A/N: Sooo sorry it took so long to update. My computer simply quit on me and we're in the process of getting a new one. But be happy to know I now have three chapters for different fics I caught up on that I need to type ^_^  
  
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Val yelped and woke with a sudden start, nearly falling out of her tree. Refusing to sleep on the ground, for fear of the millions of bugs and other creepy crawlers that were bound to be swarming all over her, she had climbed up a nearby tree and made herself comfortable on a low hanging branch. Of course, that had not stopped the spider, which had found a nice perch on the back of her hand. She quickly brushed it off, cringing in disgust as the arachnid, probably the size of a quarter, fell harmlessly to the forest floor below. "I hate the outdoors!" she lamented to herself. "There was a reason I was never in girl scouts."  
  
Climbing down from her tree limb, she lost her footing on the bark, slippery with a mixture of sap and dew, and slid the rest of the way down, ripping a hole in her sweater and skinning her elbow. "Stupid tree!" she kicked it, to no effect, then looked around helplessly. Everything looked exactly the same. How could she be expected to find her friends in this?  
  
********  
  
"It's no use," Caitie shrugged. "We're lost. We'll never make it out of here alive."  
  
"Well, not necessarily..." Hank fought desperately to maintain their moral. "There's got to be some way to tell which direction we're going."  
  
"And we'd better figure that out," Jason agreed. "Because we could be walking due north. And if we did that, we'd just be walking straight through the middle of the Appalachians, all the way up through Canada..."  
  
Hank noticeably blanched. "Okay...I know! What side of the tree does moss grow on?"  
  
Everyone cast silent, worried looks at each other, but nobody said a word.  
  
Finally, Jamie spoke up. "Erm...the...outside?"  
  
"Oh, brilliant," Jason smiled sourly.  
  
"We're screwed!" Caitie threw her arms in the air, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.  
  
Hank ambled off to the side, thinking to himself. He had never considered the fact that they could be traveling parallel to the mountains. If that were true, they'd never find a way out of the wilderness! His hand absentmindedly made its way into his pocket, and his fingertips brushed against the small collection of berries he still carried with him. His rations were running low, but surely he could find another bush of them. He popped a few more in his mouth, then turned back to the others.  
  
"I can't believe you guys don't know what side of a tree the moss grows on," Jason shook his head.  
  
Caitie cocked an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me? You're complaining about US not knowing? I don't remember seeing you shouting out the answer."  
  
"Well, hey, I'm just a musician, you guys are the EMT's, you should know these things."  
  
"Why should we know?" Tyler snorted defensively. "Emergency medical technicians are trained for MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, not 'lost in the woods expeditions!'"  
  
"There's not even moss growing on any of the trees anyway, so I don't see why we're all fighting over it," Jamie pointed out.  
  
Everyone sullenly agreed.  
  
"Now what?" Caitie asked softly.  
  
"Keep going," Tyler shrugged. "The Appalachian Mountains aren't uninhabited. We'll HAVE to run across SOMETHING eventually. C'mon." He picked up a long, sturdy branch to use as a walking stick, then began leading the way through the woods yet again, followed by Caitie, then Jamie, then Hank, and last, but certainly not least, Jason, who was walking backwards...  
  
********  
  
"I hate the outdoors!" Val was still muttering to herself as she tramped through the underbrush. "I have no idea where I am, or where everyone else is...I'll never find them!" Tears of frustration brimmed her eyes. "I'll never get out of here, I'll never be saved! Everyone thinks I'm dead! I might as well be! God, this is hopeless!" Now, everyone knows that whining is not such a good trait to have, and even whining to ones self should be avoided, as this situation proves. You see, if she had not stopped then, her ears would not have picked up the barely auditable noise.  
  
At first she thought she was imagining it, but when she heard it a second time, she paused in her tracks, holding her breath and trying to be as quiet as possible. Yes! It came again, growing louder each time; a steady jingling accompanied by a muffled thumping.  
  
Footsteps.  
  
Her heart leapt with joy! She would be found! Saved! Judging by the sound, it seemed to be heading straight towards her.  
  
And just a she was pondering this, someone burst out of the bushes in front of her.  
  
"Jason!" She exclaimed in both surprise and delight.  
  
The chains on his belt kept swinging back and forth, clinking against each other, thanks to centrifugal motion, as he came to a sudden, abrupt stop. The look on his face could not have been more shocked as he stared speechlessly at the blonde girl in front of him.  
  
"Thank goodness I found you!" Val continued, overlooking the fact that Jason didn't look too thrilled about stumbling into her. "Or at least, you found me...Do you know where my friends are? Or any other survivors?"  
  
But Jason didn't answer. He only shook the look of disbelief out of his eyes, then turned and darted back into the trees.  
  
Val stood there for a moment, looking puzzled, then she started after him. "Jason? Jason! What are you doing?! Wait for me!" She almost lost him when he dodged and ducked between groves of trees, but she did her best to keep up with his zigzag pattern. "Stop! Jason! Stop! Will you stop?!"  
  
But he only shot her a dirty look over his shoulder and ran faster. Finally, he took a sharp left behind a couple of tall sycamores, and by the time Val reached it, he had vanished.  
  
"Jason?" She called out several times, but there was no reply. "Well, this is perfect. I finally run into somebody and he runs away. What the heck is his problem anyway? He really is an odd character..." She ambled off, still calling out his name, as well as those of her friends.  
  
Jason sighed and shook his head. That had been a close one. He had not anticipated her to wake up so soon, or to pop up so unexpectedly like that. No worries though. He had dealt with it, quite cleverly, if he did say so himself. Of course. He did his best work under pressure. He jumped down from the tree branch and dusted his clothes off. The little bitch could run, he would give her that, but she wasn't fast enough to see him swing himself up into that tree. Nor was she smart enough to have looked up. Jason knew this. "So predictable," he smirked. He had led her back to her little group of friends, though, just like she had wanted. They would find each other soon enough. Which was a good thing; they would be a lost easier to take care of if they all stayed together. And he didn't need them splitting up and surprising him again.  
  
Reflex squinted his eyes as he glanced up at the sky. Those stupid morons couldn't survive in the wilderness to save their lives...which, again, was a good thing. So maybe there wasn't any moss on the trees to help them find their way. But there was more than just one way to figure out direction in the woods, such as the position of the sun or stars. He would have to work fast though. That Val would more than likely tell her little friends she had seen him. By now they surely would have noticed he was missing. They might start after him...or then again, maybe not, maybe they would just dismiss him as a nutcase and go their own way...But Jason didn't think so. They would at least try to follow his trail. He knew this. That's why he was going to leave a good trail for them to follow.  
  
He pointed himself northwest, aided by the sun, and hurried off to find the tire tracks. It was fairly easy to retrace his steps, and soon he had reached the twin rows of flattened grass. Yes, this would be a lot easier than he thought.  
  
********  
  
"Ow!" Caitie found herself suddenly face down on the ground. She spit out the couple of leaves that clung to her lip, and tried to get up. Her foot had just gotten caught on an upraised root, that was all, but when she moved it, a sharp stab of pain shot up her leg.  
  
"Caitie, are you okay?" Jamie quickly jumped to her rescue.  
  
"It's my ankle...I think I twisted it..." She winced as he bent down and gently touched it.  
  
"Well, you certainly picked the right people to do it in front of," he smiled lopsidedly. Caitie untied her cloth belt from around her waist and Hank helped him wrap it firmly around her left ankle. "How's that? Now, need help getting up?"  
  
Tyler watched jealously from a distance, silently cursing at Jamie as Caitie wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist, helping her to her feet. He couldn't just extend a friendly hand and pull her up that way, of course not. They had to go all touchy-feely on him, rubbing in the fact that Caitie was alive and Val was not. Jamie knew full well how he felt, how could he not?! He had just lost his girlfriend, how else could he be expected to feel? The least they could do was show a little sympathy; show a little discression with their romance instead of shoving it in his face like that.  
  
"Can you walk?" Jamie asked, letting her lean on him.  
  
"Yeah-ow!" As soon as she put her weight on it, her knee buckled.  
  
"Okay, apparently not."  
  
"No, no, I can-"  
  
"Caitie, look at you! Just get on my back or something-"  
  
"No, Jamie, I'm fine," she protested.  
  
Tyler, meanwhile, closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying to slow his rapidly waning patience.  
  
"C'mon, Caitie, I can carry you. You're not so heavy."  
  
"No, I can limp, it's okay."  
  
"Caitie!"  
  
"Jamie!"  
  
Tyler snapped. "Would you two just shut the hell up already!"  
  
The playful smiles instantly faded off their faces, and Caitie no longer resisted as Jamie bent down to help her onto his back. They were silent for a while, then Hank spoke up, changing the subject in hopes to relax the tension.  
  
"Hey, what happened to the pin cushion?"  
  
"Jason?" Jamie looked around. Sure enough, the blonde-haired stranger was gone. He couldn't remember exactly the last time he had seen him, but hadn't just been there a moment ago? "Where'd he disappear off to now?"  
  
"Who cares?" Tyler muttered, turning away and starting their hike again, motioning for them to follow.  
  
"Well, gee, I didn't like the guy much either, but...leaving him to die in the woods?" Caitie asked. "Is that really okay? The least we could do I search around the area a little for him-"  
  
"No," Tyler said without turning around.  
  
"But Tyler...we five were the only survivors of a plane crash! And you're willing to let that number slide down to four? Don't you think Jason deserves to be saved too? I mean, how would you feel if you like...stopped to go to the bathroom or something and your party just left you - "  
  
"I said NO." He stopped and turned around, glaring at her threateningly.  
  
Caitie shrunk down, giving up speech and resting her head submissively on Jamie's shoulder.  
  
********  
  
"Jason! Tyler! Hank!" Val continued calling out her friends' names. This was her last resort, the only hope she had was that somebody would hear her screaming...if that didn't work...  
  
Tyler stopped dead in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. He could have sworn he had heard somebody yelling his name, and the strangest thing about it was that it sounded so much like Val's voice... He was hallucinating. Oh boy, this was not good. Sure, it was sad that she had died, and he had every right in the world to be grieving his loss, but he really needed to pull himself together. He did not need to be seeing her or hearing her everywhere he went. He would lose his mind (what was left of it anyway).  
  
He wanted to continue walking, to will his mind to forget about his insanity...but a quick glance at his other three friends and his heart soared. They all wore the same expression of puzzlement, with their heads cocked in disbelief. In other words, they had heard it too.  
  
"Is...is that...Val?" Caitie raised her head, straining her hearing, unable to tell for sure.  
  
"But...but...I thought she was dead?" Tyler said breathlessly, hesitant to get his hopes up.  
  
"Well, somebody's out there," Hank nodded, "and it sure doesn't sound like Jason."  
  
"Hello!" Tyler shouted into the wilderness.  
  
Val felt her pulse quicken at the answering voice, and she couldn't help the relieved grin that spread across her face. "Hello! Hello!" she yelled with renewed vigor. "Can you hear me? Where are you?"  
  
"Yeah, we can hear you!" Tyler started in the direction of the voice. "Keep yelling! We'll come find you!"  
  
"Okay!" She did as he instructed. "Tyler, is that you?"  
  
The former football player sped up his pace. He was close; the voice was louder than ever, and it sounded so painstakingly much like her's... "Va...l...?" His breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon the lean form of the blonde cheerleader. "Val...is that really you?" he croaked. Did he dare believe that the girlfriend he had given up as dead was really alive? Was he hallucinating again? He found himself thinking of all the stories he'd heard, about people who got lost in the desert or some place, and they started seeing visions and stuff...what were they called again? Mirages? Was Val a mirage? Yet there she was, standing right in front of him, looking so incredibly real...  
  
Her cute nose wrinkled as she smiled back. "Tyler, of course it's me."  
  
He stood there staring for a moment, then he rushed forward, pulling her into a big hug and spinning her around once. "I'm so glad you're alive..." was all he could say, over and over again.  
  
"Don't tell me you thought I was dead?" she rolled her eyes. "How does a paramedic make a mistake like that? Didn't you even examine me?"  
  
"Well, I..." Tyler's blood ran cold. No he hadn't, because Jason had told him he had already checked, and she was dead...could it have just been an honest mistake because he didn't know what he was doing? Or... he quickly shrugged off the feeling of nervousness. Of course it was just a mistake. Jason had just missed the signs of life she still possessed, which though seemed rather obvious to him, wouldn't be so to someone unskilled in the medical field. "Well, Jason told me you were..."  
  
"Speaking of Jason, I just ran into him back there." She jabbed over her shoulder with her thumb. "But he saw me and just took off again..."  
  
"Really?" Tyler thought this over carefully. He wasn't sure just what Jason was up to, but he didn't trust him at all... 


	6. Massacre

A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews ^__^ My computer is still screwing up, so we're just going to get a new one. About time. Anyway, on to chapter 6...  
  
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It was nearly nightfall and Jason was still following the tire tracks, which didn't seem to have an end. he was about to give up and try following them in the opposite direction when two pinpoints of light appeared on the horizon, through the many trunks of the trees. Reenergized by this new sign of human civilization, he grinned to himself and ran forward, as fast as his aching muscles would let him. As he grew closer, the shape of a small ranch-style house loomed out of the darkness. The two tiny specks of light could now be distinguished as the two flood lamps on the side of the building, illuminating the small clearing and chasing back the intimidating shadows of the black folage. From the nearest set of double-pane windows, a soft glow was being emitted from somewhere behind the translucent window shade, and a thin whisp of pale smoke was slowly curling its way upwards from the brick chimney.  
  
He made his way over the gravel walkway and stumbled up the rickety wooden porch steps, panting with exersion. Gripping the small stitch that had begun to form in his side, he raised a weary finger and rang the doorbell. he laughed with exhilleration at the prominant sound of footsteps from inside, and at last the brass door knob turned and the door opened.  
  
"Um...hello?" A young woman greeted him. She took one look at his bleached, spiked hair, baggy clothes, and multiple piercings and noticably stiffened, backing up a step and closing the door till there was just enough space for her to peek out of. "Can...Can I help you?" Her soft brown eyes shimmered with worry through the shadows that covered her face, looking him up and down distrustfully.  
  
"I..." Jason was breathing so hard he could barely speak. His right hand still clamped over his throbbing side, he fell forward onto his left one against the door frame, leaning forward, desparately trying to regulate his ragged breathing.  
  
The lady, no doubt mistaking his near collapsation for a diliberate lunge, gasped in surprise and shrunk back another step, yelling, "Travis! Travis, get over here now!"  
  
Jason winced as her voice, painfully loud, rattled his eardrums like a crashing cymbal. As he was trying to beg her to stop, a young man, a full head taller than the girl, appeared in the doorway. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded, putting a protective arm around the woman.  
  
Jason tried to look as innocent and non-threatening as he could. "Please...I know I don't look like the kind of guy you'd want just popping up at your doorstep in the middle of the night, but...i was on a plane...when it went down..." he smiled inwardly to himself as the look of fear on the lady's face quickly turned into pity. "I...I believe I'm the only survivor..."  
  
The woman's hand shot up to cover her open mouth. "Oh, you poor thing!" She exclaimed. "A plane crash? How did you ever manage to survive?" She noticed his hand still gripping his side. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"No, just a little tired. I've been walking who knows how many miles for nearly two days straight..."  
  
"Oh! Do come in, then!"  
  
"Well...Joy..." The man protested, but she only pushed him aside and opened the door wider.  
  
"Don't be silly, Travis, he has to be telling the truth. You don't find people that look like that in town." She motioned for him to enter, and he did.  
  
"So...there's a town out here?" Jason asked, looking around the room. It had dark wooden walls and a forest green carpet, but the things that really caught his eyes were the many animals, skinned and stuffed, that were mounted on the walls.  
  
"Of course there's a town," the lady laughed slightly. "We wouldn't be living in the middle of nowhere. how would we get supplies? It's a small one, about four and a half miles down that gravel road."  
  
"Gravel road?"  
  
"Yes...you mean you didn't see it? My, how else did you stumble across our home?"  
  
"I followed some faint tire tracks through the grass, led me right to your front door," he answered.  
  
"Oh goodness! We haven't used that route since the river bridge collapsed almost a year ago! Speaking of rivers, you must be thirsty! Can I get you anything? Water? Tea? Coffee?  
  
"Coffee's fine," Jason nodded his thanks, bending down to examine the ornate feathers of a fat phesant as the woman hurried off to the kitchen. "By the way, my name's Jason."  
  
"I'm Travis," he introduced himself, "and she's my wife, Joy. We're game hunters, in case you didn't already figure that out."  
  
"Cool," he smiled, or rather smirked. "Well, while the coffee's brewing, would you mind if I used your phone to call the police or someone? To tell them about what happened..."  
  
"Oh, of course. it's in the bedroom, c'mon," Travis led him down the hall and into the nearest room on the right. "I don't know if the local cops would be able to do anything about it, but at least they'll be able to contact someone who can. And what about family? Do you have anyone else you want to call to let them know you're alright?"  
  
"Nah," Jason shrugged. "I'll call 'em later. Wouldn't want to stick you with the long distance charges." He picked up the white phone off the plastic cradle. Perfect, the lever was on the reciever instead of the base. As inconspicuously as he could, he kept it held down with his thumb while he dialed nine-one-one. Casually glancing over at Travis, he saw that the dark haired guy was watching him warily, but he didn't think he noticed he wasn't actually calling anyone. "Erm...hello? Police?" he spoke to the droning dial tone. "Uh, yeah, my name's Jason Rendleman, and...I was on American Airlines flight...0320, I think, to Hawaii when it crashed..." He faked the entire conversation, pausing every now and then and answering with an occcasional "no" or "uh-huh." Finally he hung up and turned back to Travis. "They're goign to contact the airlines and take care of it. I'm supposed to go up to the station, and they're going to find me a way home."  
  
"Okay." All traces of doubt had left his eyes. "You should at least stay for the coffee, though. you look like you could use it."  
  
Jason laughed and agreed. The bedroom he was in was a lot more cheerful than the livingroom seemed, with its pale blue walls and white carpeting, but like the other room, this one had a flock of six or seven water fowl, cleverly posed, huddling in corver, and at the foot of the queen-sized bed was a shaggy bear skin rug. Also, on the right side of the large wardrobe, there was a magnificent maple display case. "Nice," Jason commented, walking towards it. Inside, three ebony rifles were nestled in their racks, their shiny, black metal surfaces gleaming under the built-in light.  
  
"Oh yeah," Travis seemed eager for a chance to show off. ".45, top of the line, muffled shot, most precise aim you can get. They're what we hunt with."  
  
"Wow, may I?" He asked, extending an expectant arm towards the polished handle.  
  
"Of course," Travis quickly agreed, beaming with pride.  
  
Jason had to fight not to burst into laughter. Travis had played right into his trap. He opened the door of the display case and gingerly lifted the top gun off its shelf. "Holy cow, I've always wanted to see one of these things up close," he lied. Really, he didn't know jack shit about guns, nor did he really care. A gun was a gun, right? They all worked basically the same way. "Do they really load as fast as they claim they do?"  
  
"You bet!" He took the rifle from him, opened the two barrels, grabbed a shell from the bottom shelf of the cabinet, popped it in, and snapped the wooden butt back into place. "Easiest thing in the world."  
  
"Amazing," Jason forced his eyebrows up. "I'm impressed." he took the gun back and looked it over again. There was a soft click as he pulled back the hammer.  
  
Just then, Joy returned, her shoulder length blrown hair pulled back in a pony tail, carrying a tray with two steaming mugs. "Okay, your coffee's re- "  
  
She didn't even get a chance to finish the sentence.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"What happened to you?" Val asked Caitie, who was still getting a piggy- back ride from Jamie.  
  
"Oh, I just twisted my ankle," she rolled her eyes. "How contrived. You get lost in the woods, you twist your ankle. They just...go together."  
  
Meanwhile, Tyler was still puzzling over the Jason mystery. "So he just ran away? Without saying anything?"  
  
"Yes!" Val said exasperatedly. "We've been over this a dozen times!"  
  
"I just don't understand why he would want to run away. Wouldn't it be smarter to stay together?"  
  
Jamie snorted. "Well, if there's one thing that guy lacked, it's intellegence." Though really he knewe that wasn't entirely true. Maybe the thing he really lacked was manners, but Jason certainly wasn't stupid. That's what bothered him.  
  
"Do you remember which way he went?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," she nodded confidently, "Just back that way."  
  
"Okay then, let's go."  
  
"Woah, woah, woah, wait a sec," Hank looked at him incredulusly. "You don't expect us to follow him, do you?"  
  
"Why not?" Tyler looked quite serious.  
  
"Come on, man, the guy's obviously insane. We're better off without him. We got Val back. She's alive! Can't you be happy with that? Can't we just keep going our own way?"  
  
But Tyler calmly refused. "Afraid not. I'm sorry, hank, but I don't trust Jason at all. He's up to something and I want to find out what."  
  
Hank didn't say anything more.  
  
"Come on," Tyler motioned. "What else have we got to lose?"  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Val leaned up against one of the sycamores Jason had disappeared behind. "I lost him right around here."  
  
"Are you sure?" Tyler asked.  
  
"Positive. I couldn't forget the shape of these trees. But I don't know where he went from here..."  
  
"Hey look at this," Jamie, who was struggling to bend down with Caitie on his back, spoke up. "That is a foot print, right?"  
  
"Sure is," Hank closely inspected it, "but is it Jason's?"  
  
Tyler shrugged. "Who else's could it be? And look, here's another. And another. The dirt here is littered with them, and they're all heading in that direction. Let's go."  
  
Jamie didn't object, but something in the back of his mind was stirring up bad vibes. Something just didn't seem right...  
  
Without warning, Val suddenly burst into tears.  
  
"What? What is it?" Everyone asked her, startled and frightened by her unexpected outburst.  
  
"Look at us! We're lost in the middle of NOWHERE! We've been wondering around for two days! We haven't had anything to eat for that logn either! Face it, we're dead! Just stop with the optomistic act already and face it! We're! Dead!"  
  
"Val..." Tyler gently touched a hand to her shoulder, mentally willing his strength into her. "Don't think this way...we'll find a way out of this, don't worry..."  
  
Her slender fingers clung tightly to the fabric of his flannel shirt like a scared child's as she sobbed into his chest. "I don't know, Tyler. I just don't know how much longer I can hold out. i just can't keep trying to fool myself into believing that everything's going to work out perfectly. It's not working..."  
  
Tyler didn't say anything more as placed a consoling arm around her. The thought that they might starve to death had crossed his mind more than once, and now more than ever he regretted not stopping at that bush...but he couldn't remember for the life of him whether his biology teacher had told him those berries were poisonous or not. So, deciding that old saying, "better safe than sorry," was true, he hadn't mentioned it to anyone else and left it far behind them. No doubt no one would want to trek back for it. "don't worry. If we don't find food soon, we'll...kill a rabbit or something."  
  
"I am NOT eating a rabbit," Caitie curled her lip in disgust. "Not only do I not eat meat, but I am not going to kill some poor innocent rabbit..."  
  
"Does malnutrition sound better to you?" he snapped, and she fell silent. "come on, let's find out where Jason went."  
  
Needless to say, Val's sudden break down did fairly little to hearten the rest of them, but without complaint, they followed him and the rest of Jason's footprints through the soil and undergrowth.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"I don't believe this," Tyler stared down at the ground. "Are those tire tracks? Jason found tire tracks! He found tracks and he didn't even tell us! What the hell is his problem?!"  
  
"I KNEW the guy was bad news," Jamie complained, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Well, we found them too, now can we hurry up and see where they lead? The light's almost gone, and Caitie's getting awfully heavy..."  
  
"I TOLD you, I can limp."  
  
"Not if we want to get there anytime soon," he refused.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
The sun finally set, taking with it the last of their visibility as it disappeared behind the tops of the trees.  
  
"We'll get lost if we try to continue like this," Tyler reluctantly admitted. "We can't risk losing the trail-"  
  
"Look!" Val interrupted. A faint glow was coming from somewhere ahead, and above them, a single cloud of smoke was the only thing blocking the stairs in the otherwise clear night.  
  
Tyler couldn't help but laugh with relief. "That's chimney smoke. That's chimney smoke! Ha ha, we're close!"  
  
Suddenly, their stiff, sore muscles didn't matter anymore. Their empty, growling stomachs didn't matter anymore. Their weary, ragged breaths didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. The fact that they were so close to being saved was enough to send their morals shooting through the roof, restoring every ounce of strength in them as though they had just woken up from a full night's sleep in a comfortable bed with everything to look forward to the next morning.  
  
They eagerly quickened their pace as the warm, inviting glow grew ever closer, sharpening into a pinpoint that could soon be distinguished as a light bulb. Ignoring the sharp branches that snatched at her hair and the roots and vines that tangled dangerously around her feet, threatening to trip her, Val rushed forward, breaking into the clearing and cheering with delight. "It's a house!' She yelled, her mouth almost too excited to form words. "Thank you God! It's a house!"  
  
The others soon joined her on the rickety old porch, Jamie leaning against the banister to give his back a rest, and she quickly rang the door bell once, twice, and then waited. No sounds could be heard from within. Her face fell slightly as she tried again. Still nothing. "Don't tell me no one's home! Someone HAS to be home! There's a care in the driveway, lights on both inside and out, and a fire in the fireplace! How could no one be home?"  
  
"Excuse me, I think this is an emergency," Jamie brushed past her, grunting with exertion. It was obvious Caitie's weight was killing him. He turned the door knob and pushed. Sure enough, the door was unlocked, and it slowly swung forward, its hinges creaking as it moved.  
  
"Jamie! That's breaking and entering!" Val scolded, but the brown-haired rebel paid her no mind as he stepped into the dimply lit room.  
  
"Oh, thank God," he moaned, gently dropping Caitie into the red arm chair by the crackling fire and flinging himself onto the nearby couch, sighing with relief as he stretched his aching muscles.  
  
"Hello!" Val called, but like the door bell, there was no answer. Finally giving the house up to empty, she nodded to Caitie, "I'm going to check the bathroom for a first aid kit, see if I can find an Ace bandage for you."  
  
"Oh, warmth!" Hank nearly collapsed onto the rug by the hearth, while Tyler ran into the kitchen to check for food. Suddenly, hank sat up, sniffing the air. "What's that smell?"  
  
"I don't smell anything," Tyler answered from inside the refridgerator, as he stuffed a slice of bread into his mouth. "But they have EVERYTHING here! And it's SO good!"  
  
Hank's forehead creased with concentration as he followe dhis nose down the hall, muttering an "excuse me" as he nearly ran into Val, who was returning with Caitie's bandage.  
  
"Here you go," Val smiled cheerfully, unwrapping her friend's belt from around her partically swollen ankle and redressing her injury with the bandage.  
  
"Dude! They have coffee!" Tyler yelled from the kitchen.  
  
"Tyler! Don't go through all their stuff! I don't think they'd appreciate it..."  
  
"Oh...Really...I don't think they'd mind," Hank returned, looking fairly stiff and fairly pale.  
  
"What do you mean?" Val asked.  
  
But Hank only closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and called for Tyler. The blonde jock peeked out from behind the swinging door, still munching on his third slice of bread and tossing the bag containing the rest of the loaf to his girlfriend. Hank wordlessly motioned for him to follow him back down the hall, and he did as he instructed.  
  
Val reluctantly picked up the bread, hesitant to eat someone else's food without their consent, but Caitie, who didn't worry herself with such morals, quickly snatched it from her friend and eagerly dove into it.  
  
"Holy...Holy shit!"  
  
Suddenly, Tyler's should could be heard so loud and so unexpected that it made Val jump.  
  
"What was that about?" Caitie looked scared. Jamie seemed to have fallen asleep on the sofa and didn't hear it.  
  
"I...I don't know," Val admitted, feeling her heartbeat quicken. "But I'm going to go find out." She got up and made her way toward the end of the hallway. "Tyler, what is it?" She found the two guys standing in the doorway with their backs to her, blocking the room's contents from her view. "What is it?" she repeated, shoving past them into the blue and white bedroom.  
  
Val was instantly glad she hadn't eaten any of that bread Tyler had given her. Or she would have lost it by now. Lying on the floor in front of her were two people, a man and a woman. The woman looked to be about twenty- five, maybe younger, with her chestnut hair pulled back in a pony tail. A neat, round bullet hole in the center of her chest could plainly be seen through the many layers of clothes she was wearing, where blood seeped through, staining the white carpet underneath her a brilliat red, and the soldier-blue shirt she was wearing, a spreading black. A look of surprise was still frozen on her face.  
  
The man seemed equally as young as the girl. He was lying on his stomach, his head tilted in their direction. Many purplish-black bruises on his head and face, some of them leaking a thin trickle of blood, suggested he had been bludgeoned to death.  
  
Of course, it was a fairly gruesome sight indeed, but the thing that made it all worse was that their eyes were open. With their eyes closed, they would look (at least partially) like they were sleeping, or at least like they were at peace. But with them open in wide-eyed surprise like that...they were simply and unmistakably dead. They had been simply and unmistakably murdered. Reciently.  
  
"Oh my God," Val let out a shocked, little gasp, one hand covering her open mouth, the other over her queasy stomach.  
  
The putrid stench of decomposition filled the room, combining with the strong smell of coffee which permiated from the two spilled mugs which lied overturned next to them on the floor, mixing to form a scent so strong, it made her eyes water and her stomach do loop-de-loops inside of her. "I...I...I think I'm going to be sick," she managed to croak out.  
  
Somewhere from behind them, a soft click could be heard.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
A/N: Sorry parts of this chapter were a little forced...it's rather obvious where I'm talking about...But still, I left you with a nice cliffhanger and an interesting plot twist, no? Review if you'd like me to continue, I'm half way done writing the 7th chapter, 47 reviews and I'll write quicker ^_^ Thanks a bunch! 


	7. Run, Run, As Fast As You Can

Val yelped and spun around, feeling her blood turn to ice as she did so. She was met with a most unwelcome sight; staring down the twin barrels of a rifle, which stared back at her like two cold, empty, uncaring eyes.  
  
"Aw," Jason put on an air of mock disappointment. "You weren't supposed to hear that."  
  
"J-Jason?" Hank stammered, raising his arms in surrender.  
  
He grinned malaciously. "Surprise."  
  
"Dude, what are you doing? Please...put the gun down..."  
  
"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"  
  
"You killed these people, didn't you?!" Tyler demanded.  
  
"So what if I did."  
  
"So what?! So what if we call the cops then? Have them all your ass off to jail?"  
  
"Not if I kill you first."  
  
Tyler stared at him in horror, the dim light from the table lamp casting eerie shadows on his devilish face.  
  
"Why?" Val couldn't stop the tears that brimmed her eyes. "I don't understand. Why do this? Wouldn't it be more benificial to work together, to find a way out of this mess-"  
  
"I don't need your help to save my skin. I can do quite well on my own, thank you."  
  
"So..." Val whimpered, "you're...you're going to kill us? Just like that?"  
  
Jason laughed at the fear that was so evident on their faces. "I don't know...I haven't decided yet..."  
  
Val looked back down at the two innocent people, bruitally and unjustly murdered, who still laid at her feet, and then back up to their tormentor, her whole body trembling. Right now, he was capable of anything.  
  
He laughed again, such a vile, insane sound, and feigned a lunge forward, causing Val to involuntarily scream.  
  
Caitie, who was still sitting at the edge of the vinal armchair, anxiously waiting for her friends to return, heard this and felt goosebumps ripple across her pallid flesh. Something was not right, and she needed to get over there. She looked helplessly at Jamie, who was still sleeping, unaffected by all the previous events, and decided she would just have to get there herself. She used the arm of the chair to push herself up and tested the strength of her ankle. It didn't hurt as badly as it once had, and the Ace bandage had helped a lot, but she still couldn't bend it at all without pain, which was going to make things quite slow. She balanced herself on her good foot for a moment, then hobbled over to the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall for support. She made her way around a stuffed pheasant and stuffed raccoon, then down the hallway her friends had disappeared through, calling, "Val? Val, are you alright? What happened?"  
  
Val heard Caitie's voice and froze. No! No! Why was Caitie coming?! This was not good! No, Caitie, go back! Go BACK! She mentally threatened her to turn around, to save herself, or at the very least, wake Jamie. Oh, how she wished the myth of telepathy could be real! But, of course, no matter how much she feared for her friend's safety, her irregular footsteps were only growing louder.  
  
"Val? Oh my God!" Caitie stopped suddenly, a cold, metal rifle pressing rather uncomfortably into her stomach.  
  
"Oh, look, we meet again," Jason smirked.  
  
Tyler tensed his muscles, eager to take advantage of the moment and jump Jason, maybe succeeding in wrestling his weapon from him, but the blonde- haired punk didn't miss a beat.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. 'I'm on the Football Team.' I mean, assuming you like your friend the way she is; namely alive."  
  
Tyler's fingers slowly clenched into frustrated fists, his short nails digging into the palm of his hand. The situation seemed hopeless.  
  
"Okay," Jason motioned. "Come on, let's all go back to the livingroom."  
  
Nobody moved.  
  
"I said, let's GO." He jabbed the gun impatiently at Caitie, and they all reluctantly obeyed. "Sit," he waved dismissively at the chairs around the fireplace, then he rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. "Would somebody wake that lump up?"  
  
Hank did as he was told, reaching out a shaking hand and touching him lightly.  
  
"What is it?" Jamie groaned, without opening his eyes.  
  
"Um...I think you better wake up, dude."  
  
"Not right now...later..."  
  
"Would the sound of a gun shot make it easier for you?" Jason offered.  
  
Jamie's eyelids snapped open as he quickly scrambled to sit himself upright. "You!" He exclaimed, his voice oozing pure contempt.  
  
"Yes, yes, ME. Well, now that we're all here, and we all know eachother, let's have a little chat, shall we?" He began pacing back and forth in front of them. "I believe I've made up my mind. I'm not going to kill you..." He paused for a moment, enjoying the looks of relief that spread across all their faces before adding, "Yet. You have...oh, I don't know, I'll give you three days, okay? If you can survive three days out there without me catching up to you and...well...you know...then I'll let you go, harm free, no questions asked. Sound fair? You may take that bag of bread you so politely stole from the kitchen, but nothing else, and you won't be allowed to come back here, so you better hope you run into something edible out there. And also, me being the nice guy that I am, I'll give you an hour's head start, but you have to be out of my sight by the time I count to ten. So, what do you say? Is it a deal? It's only three days..."  
  
"Do...Do we have a choice?" Val's voice wavered dangerously.  
  
Jason looked offended. "Why, of course you do! I'd NEVER force anyone into anything. You also have the choice of one of these," he tapped at the rifle, meaning the bullets inside, "through the middle of your forehead. Take your pick."  
  
"Then we agree to your terms," Tyler spoke for them all, his voice strange, flat, and defeated, almost unrecognizable to him. Jason looked delighted. "But...can we at least get a drink of water first? I...I mean, we haven't had anything for almost two days..."  
  
Jason considered this, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully, before he finally waved him to go on. "Fine...But only because I wouldn't want you dying of dehydration the first day our little game starts. Just dump out some bottle from the fridge and fill it up with tap water to take with you." A slow, sly smile snaked across his lips. "Choose wisely, though. Too small a bottle and you'll run out before you could even say 'What a vacation this has turned out to be.' Too big a bottle and...you may find you won't be able to run as fast or as nimbly as you might need to..."  
  
Tyler gulped and did as their captor instructed. A moment later, he was back out in the livingroom, his hands, out of nervousness, clutching so tightly to the neck and bottom of a two liter Sprite bottle that his knuckles were turning white.  
  
"Good!" Jason spoke with false, forced cheerfulness, as though he were talking to a room of three and four year olds. "Does everyone understand the rules? Any questions?" Silence. "Okay then! Remember, ten seconds only. Anyone I can still see after that will be...removed from the game. Now, let's all stand up so we can give everybody an equal chance..."  
  
As though she were back in a classroom at school, Caitie timidly raised her hand.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"My...my ankle. I can't walk on it."  
  
Jason frowned and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "wounded prey" before answering, "You seemed to be able to limp quite nicely when you so valiently came hopping to your friends' rescue back there."  
  
"Surely...you can't expect me to limp-"  
  
But Jason only grinned Satanically. "One."  
  
And they were off, Caitie doing her best to keep up with the rest of her friends.  
  
"Two."  
  
Hank reached the front door first and threw it open with such force, it banged into the wall behind it, rattling the picture frames and mounted trophy heads.  
  
"Three."  
  
The five friends tore across the clearing towards the safety and protection of the dark woods, Jason watching them from the doorway.  
  
"Four." He stopped his counting here and shut the door, laughing to himself as he sat down in the armchair, propping his feet up on the ottoman. He idly pulled the trigger of the rifle, his smile broadening at the loud sound of the hammer hitting the metal of the barrels; nothing more. It was funny, or at least he thought it was, how whenever you pointed a gun at somebody, they just automatically assumed it was loaded.  
  
Well, he would just relax for now, giving them plenty of time to worry themselves sick wondering if and when he would catch up to them. He had promised them an hour's headstart, anyway.  
  
He looked boredly down at the rifle he still held in his hands, then got up to return it to its proper place. Guns were no fun. You could fire at prey from an outstanding distance, often times killing them, some even instantly. Where was the excitement in that? Where was the sport? The suspense? The *challenge*?  
  
No, he preferred a much more "hands on" method. He closed the display case door, stepping carefully over the two dead bodies of the young couple he had gotten out of the way, and taking with him the half-empty box of shells. No doubt that goody-goody medical squad would eventually end up back here, even though in the rules he had clearly stated that they were not to get any other supplies from the house. He somehow didn't think they shared the same ideas on fairness, so there was no point in leaving any unnecissary ammunition lying about that they might unwisely try using against him.  
  
He carried them with him to the kitchen, looking for what he really wanted. He went through all the cabinets, opening drawer after drawer, rummaging around through the countless dishes, glasses, silverware, and other kitchen utensils until he finally found it. A sinister grin twisted the corners of his mouth up as his fist gripped the wooden handle, the fingers of his other hand gently caressing the smooth metal of the blade which glinted dully under the overhead lights, reflecting back at him a blurry sillouette of pure evil that didn't bother him in the least.  
  
It was a large steak knife, maybe eight or nine inches long, with a deadly edge that wasn't overly sharp, but just sharp enough to leave a painful wound if stabbed with. It was perfect. It looked like it had just come out of one of those Halloween movies. He almost half expected to see Michael Meyers lurking around in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to steal it back. This was it; his weapon of choice.  
  
He stuck the knife in his belt and stuffed the seven bullets into his pocket to dispose of later, then he went about fixing himself a supply of food and water to take with him. A quick glance at the clock told him a half an hour had passed since their little game had officially started. Their hour was almost up, but Jason didn't care. He considered himself a relatively generous guy, after all. He'd give them the whole night. Yes, that was really being generous, wasn't it? Of course, he was giving them seven extra hours. Seven extra hours to put as much distance between them and him as possible. Seven extra hours to test his skill and intelligence by making a marvelous, challenging trail for him to follow.  
  
Yes, seven FREE hours out of their seventy-two.  
  
How could anyone say he wasn't a nice guy?  
  
He stuffed his supplies into a black trash bag he found underneath the sink, then stored that in the refridgerator to keep them cool till he left in the morning.  
  
And so began his game.  
  
Hunting man, the most intelligent of all beasts. Yes, he had always wanted to try it, ever since his class had read "The Most Dangerous Game" way back in his Freshman year.  
  
Now he finally could. With the perfect conditions, too. A vast expanse of wilderness with no authorities or rules, no people, no one to hear them scream... Granted, that lady had said something about there being a small town near them, but that was still several miles away. His prey would never make it that far, he would make sure of that.  
  
The countdown had begun. He hoped they weren't planning on sleeping that night. They needed to run. He needed a challenge.  
  
The real Most Dangerous Game had just begun.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
A/N: Getting kinda violent ^^; But still suspenseful, no? Review if you'd like me to continue. 54 reviews and I'll write faster ^_^ Thanks a bunch! 


	8. The Most Dangerous Game

A/N: OMG I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK LIKE SEVEN MONTHS TO CONTINUE!!! .;; I've been kind of...working on my artwork more...;; You can go look at my gallery if you like, www.bebopbountyhuntress.deviantart.com  
  
And also, I would like to apologize to those who didn't like my reference to "The Most Dangerous Game." I'm not stealing anyone's story, I promise, it was just a reference for the amusement of my LA teacher, Mr. Boyd. This fic really has nothing to do with it. Unless you count one guy trying to kill several others. Which then in that case 90 percent of every horror movie in existence would be ripping off that story. I had no idea some people would be offended by it. So, I'm sorry I mentioned it, really...after this chapter, no more about it... Anyway, onto it!

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Val stood with the rest of her friends just beyond the edge of the clearing, panting heavily and desperately clinging to the rough trunk of a young tree for support. Her knees felt weak and unstable and threatened malevolently to give out on her as the many winged creatures inside her stomach did drunken loop-de-loops. "He...He's going to kill us." Her voice was shaky and hoarse. "He's going to kill us, Tyler. He's going to kill us!" Her voice cracked. Two tears found their way out of her eyes and rolled lazily down her cheeks. "We're going to die! He's going to KILL us! Oh, God, I don't want to die, Tyler! I don't want to die!"  
  
"Val, it's okay, calm down," her blonde boyfriend desperately tried to comfort her.  
  
"Oh, Tyler..." She fell into his arms, clinging o two fist-fulls of his shirt's fabric.  
  
He gently ran his hand lightly up and down her back as she sobbed raggedly into his chest. "Jason's not going to kill anyone else. We won't LET him," he said determinedly. "Here," he gently freed his shirt from her vice-like grip and held her out at arms length, offering her the bottle of water. She graciously accepted it and took a small drink before passing it to Hank and Caitie.  
  
"Okay," Tyler spoke up, feeling it was somehow his duty to come up with some sort of motivational speech. "Really, the one thing we truly need right now is our wits. We simply can't afford to crack at the moment. If we lose it, we lose our lives. I don't mean to freak anybody out, but...we're obviously not dealing with a moral person. Does...does everyone understand?" Solemn nods and forced grunts. "Val...you gonna be okay?"  
  
She sniffled and nodded again.  
  
"Good." He took the water-filled Sprite bottle from Caitie and took a sip himself. It was far from ice cold by now, but it still felt refreshingly pleasant in his dry mouth. It needed to be strictly rationed, however, and he reluctantly pulled the bottle away from his chapped lips and recapped it, offering it to Jamie.  
  
"No thanks," he refused. Now, of course Jamie was thirsty, but he wasn't dying, and to him, if something was in short supply, it shouldn't be used unless absolutely necessary.  
  
Tyler seemed surprised, but didn't object.  
  
"So...what are you going to do now?" Caitie asked, barely visible in the darkness of night.  
  
"I say we camp out here for the time being," Tyler shrugged.  
  
"Dude...you've got to be kidding," Hank laughed in nervous disbelief. "With Jason right there? Planning to murder us in less than an hour? He's hunting us. In the wild, the gazelle doesn't just stand in one spot and let the lion eat it. I say we run."  
  
"Yeah, but see, that's what Jason wants us to do," Tyler disagreed. "If we don't...maybe he won't expect us to stick close. There are many reasons why we should stay here. If we can keep an eye on him without him realizing, there'd be no way he could sneak up and surprise us. Plus, there's a phone in that house, I saw it. We can't risk running away and getting lost. If we can wait for him to leave, we can sneak back in and call for help."  
  
Hank opened his mouth to say more, but fell silent.  
  
"As long as one person stays up on watch, the rest can sleep. I can do that if you'd like."  
  
"You sure?" Jamie clapped him on the back. "Cause I will..."  
  
"No, that's okay. You look tired. You could use the rest. I don't think I could sleep right now anyway." He took a seat on the pine needle-littered ground, leaning against one of the many tree trunks and staring at the dimly-lit house blankly as the rest of his friends made themselves comfortable as well.  
  
Hank stretched out on his back and immediately felt his stomach flip over. He crawled shakily on his knees a few feet away. No, no, no, he couldn't throw up now. They were lost in the woods with absolutely no provisions; he simply could NOT afford to throw up at all. He had run out of berries, he couldn't lose the ones he had already eaten. His stomach heaved. No, no, no, stay down... He couldn't help himself. His back arched as he vomited violently.  
  
"You okay, dude?" He heard Jamie's voice.  
  
"Yeah, I...I'm fine," he managed to croak out, grimacing at the nasty, burning aftertaste of the stomach acid still left in his mouth. He wasn't fine, really. He had felt light headed and queasy ever since they had reached the clearing and the abandoned house, though he hadn't mentioned anything. These feelings had progressively grown worse, but throwing up had helped a little. Weakly, he stumbled back to his friends and collapsed beside them. His insides still bothered him, but fatigue soon took over, and he found himself finally drifting into a deep sleep.  
  
Jason yawned and stretched, crawling out of the queen-sized four-poster he had slept in, completely oblivious and undaunted by the rancid smell the two decaying bodies gave off. Still rubbing at his groggy eyes, he clumsily stepped over the bloody mess on the floor and made his way to the small bathroom.  
  
"And so the most dangerous game begins," he smirked to himself, running his fingers through his long bleached, spiked hair and splashing cold water on his pale cheeks. Those morons had several hours; they better had made a nice long, challenging trail for him to follow.  
  
He went back to the bedroom and grabbed the kitchen knife off the nightstand where he had left it, then paused for a moment to glance one last time at the glass rifle case standing solemnly in the corner. It was a pity, really, that he wouldn't be there to see their faces when they ran back to the cabin (they would return, he KNEW they would. They were so predictable.) To get the guns, then realized there were no shells. Yes, he would love to see their looks of horror and helplessness. But...one couldn't have everything they wanted, now could they? And he would get his chance to see them quivering in fear soon enough.  
  
He stuffed the knife into his belt and grabbed his trash bag out of the kitchen. He was wide awake now. The excitement of the chase was seeping into his pores, making his pulse race, heartbeat quicken, and adrenaline rush. Yes yes, the Most Dangerous Game was now beginning. Slinging his provisions over his shoulder, he excitedly marched through the living room and threw open the front door. He was met with a disappointing sight, however. The five teens were no more than twenty yards away. He quickly turned, feigning that he hadn't noticed them as the blonde-haired male began waking up his sleeping comrades. It was difficult to keep from bursting out laughing. They didn't seriously think those almost-bare bushes kept them hidden, did they?  
  
He sighed dejectedly to himself. Tsk tsk, they didn't seem to be taking him seriously. And they weren't following the rules at all. Well, something most definitely had to be done about that. They needed the right sort of...example...to instill in their heads that he wasn't kidding. And he knew just the example he was going to give them. Smirking to himself, he turned in the opposite direction and began slowly walking into the dense forest.  
  
Tyler stared blankly into space, lost in thought. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago the worst thing he and his friends had to worry about was the football game against Metamora. But now... He was dragged back into reality by a subtle movement. The front door of the house was opening. Crouching down in the shadows, he watched warily from between the branches of the thickets that gave them cover as the tall Jason stepped out onto the porch. His breath caught in his throat as, for one tension filled moment, he could have sworn he had made direct eye contact with him. But his roaming eyes moved on, surveying the rest of the area.  
  
Tyler felt a hesitant sense of hope welling up inside him. Jason wasn't carrying one of the guns in either hand, and the large black garbage bag he had slung over his shoulder didn't suggest that it contained anything even remotely rifle-shaped. Did he dare consider that Jason had forgotten about the weapon he had maliciously used to threaten them with just a few hours before? Was there even a slight possibility that he had left it inside the house?  
  
As the bleach-blonde punk began walking away in the opposite direction, Tyler hurriedly started on the task of waking his friends up. "Come on!" He whispered excitedly, lightly shaking Jamie awake. "Jason left, let's go use the phone!"  
  
Hank yawned and stretched, sitting up. He had the most awful crick in his neck from sleeping so long in such an uncomfortable position, but that in no way compared to the pain his stomach was giving him. His insides felt hot and dry, as though something had started a fire inside him, and, had he eaten anything in the past 48 hours, he would have vomited again. He opened his eyes and found his four companions already up. They were walking away...leaving him...he had to stand up...He shakily rose to his feet. "Come on, Hank," Tyler said without looking back. He weakly followed.  
  
The house was just as they had left it, though the door to the bedroom had been thankfully shut, hiding both the sight and smell of the gory scene behind it.  
  
Grateful for the fact that it was still there, Val quickly grabbed the bag of bread she had so carelessly forgotten in her haste to get out of the house before Jason made good of his violent threat, while Jamie and Tyler exchanged nervous glances.  
  
"The gun rack, it's...in the bedroom..." Jamie said reluctantly.  
  
"Yeah..."Tyler nodded.  
  
"Great..." Taking a deep breath, Jamie slowly made his way down the short hallway, Tyler behind him. Struggling to swallow against the lump in his throat, he twisted the brass door knob and pushed open the door. Of course, the devastating scene was still there, untouched, the two bodies of the young couple still sprawled out limp and lifeless across the blood-soaked floor. Jamie's insides twisted. How many more times were they going to have to see that? He forced his eyes up from the gruesome sight to the maple display case. Yes, concentrate on that...  
  
Carefully stepping around the bloody mess, he and Tyler reached the gun rack and opened it excitedly. The three rifles were still there. They were no longer unarmed.  
  
Jamie lifted the top one out. "How do you work these things?"  
  
"Here," Tyler grabbed the second one. "William has two of these at home. You just cock it open like this, and...hand me two shells."  
  
Jamie opened the bottom cabinet and felt around. "Uh-oh..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You're kidding me...they couldn't have just had these for kicks and giggles. Maybe they kept the shells somewhere else?"  
  
But neither one made a move to search the rest of the room.  
  
"So...Jason knew...we would come back here...and took the ammunition..." Jamie said breathlessly.  
  
Tyler didn't answer. He felt numb...scared. He couldn't shake the sight of Jason's cold blue eyes meeting his own for that one terrible second. He knew. Jason had seen them. He had known they were there, and more than likely he knew where they were right now. He felt a chill run lightly up and down his spine. Yes, he had under-estimated him. He could have easily killed them right then and there...but he hadn't. Because he knew he could have.  
  
This was a game to him.  
  
A most deadly game indeed.

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A/N: BAH! Hardly worth the insanely long wait! I'm so out of practice writing Thanks to Christina for betaing though And whattaya say? 67 reviews and I'll continue? :P 


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